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Go Soo: “I didn’t know this role would be this painful”

You’d be hard-pressed to watch SBS’s Will It Snow For Christmas without falling under lead actor Go Soo‘s spell. Even if you counted yourself a fan before this drama premiered last month, there’s something about his presence in this show that commands attention, and fans are definitely taking notice. Here’s a recent interview with Go Soo — enjoy!

Popularity through the Kang-jin character of SBS’s Will It Snow For Christmas?

There’s a saying that if you want to make it big in the entertainment industry, you need a pure, clear gaze.

In this frigid winter with temperatures falling below 10 degrees, a pure, brilliant gaze struck the television airwaves, as though with a loud “clank.” Netizens have coined several nicknames for the owner of this stare, responding fervently to the source of their “Go Soo flu,” “Go Soo pangs,” “Go-vid,” “Go-neu-nim.”

Go Soo pangs refers to that painful longing he evokes in fans, while Go-vid is derived from David (as in Michaelangelo’s), and Go-neu-nim is my personal favorite since it’s absolutely ridiculous, combining his name with the word for God (ha-neu-nim). It’s equivalent to saying “God-Soo.”

Go Soo, who plays the lead in SBS’s Wednesday-Thursday drama Will It Snow For Christmas, is capturing the hearts of women viewers with his expressions and gazes that convey deep sadness and also endless reflection.

“Kang-jin is by nature very appealing. And good-looking. Haha, I’m sorry. He’s clean, upright, and passionate. He also has a talented gift for architectural design. The female viewers like seeing Kang-jin treating Ji-wan well.”

Of course, the Kang-jin character himself is handsome and cool. But it’s because Kang-jin met Go Soo that he shines. Formerly thin and of slight build, Go Soo used to look delicate, but after coming back from military service and entering his thirties [he’s 31], he has shed his previous image. He has filled out his build and upgraded his image with acting that has matured, from a good-looking pure youth to a trustworthy, lovely man.

“You could say that in the past, I asserted my intent first, but now I deliberate endlessly about how I can best express the conditions that have been given to me. Also, in the past I used to agonize over whether this was the right path for me, but last year I felt that acting is really my path. If I’ve changed, it’s because of that.”

The title Will It Snow For Christmas? gives a bright feeling, but the plot is heartbreaking. With dramas like I’m Sorry, I Love You, A Love To Kill, and Thank You, writer Lee Kyung-hee has always plucked the heartstrings, and Kang-jin and Ji-wan’s painful love is the same way.

“I liked that Kang-jin isn’t a character who is only soft and warm with women, and I was drawn to what he went through in his adolescence. I wanted to try a drama that wasn’t easy on a fundamental level, that was a little dark and serious. But I didn’t know it would be this painful. The further we get in the drama, the more painful it becomes. I didn’t know it would be this difficult.”

Growing up with a mother who is a cafe hostess and making it to the elite ranks, Kang-jin has a first love in his high school days, Ji-wan, who leaves suddenly. Unable to forget her, they have a fateful reunion a decade later. However, the reason for Ji-wan’s departure is because her brother died in the river after diving in to retrieve Kang-jin’s lost pendant. Although Kang-jin finds the Ji-wan he’d dreamed of finding, discovering this tragic truth torments him.

“Kang-jin reunites with Ji-wan after a lot of difficulty, but soon afterward he makes the painful realization that he is a source of pain for Ji-wan, and tries to distance himself from her. They confirm their love again in the January 7 episode (#10), but… you’ll have to watch the future episodes to find out what happens. [Laughs]”

He’s introverted. He’s quiet and thoughtful. He’s also an upright man. Within a loud, boisterous entertainment industry, he has a personality that makes it easy to be hurt.

“Before and after my military service, whenever I took a break from work, I deliberated over whether I had to continue acting. When I struggled with work, I even thought that this actor’s job was too much for me to handle. I thought, do I really have to go back there again and live that frantic life and lose myself? But I decided to do it to support myself. In the past, I found it a burden just being in the spotlight, but now I accept it, and I’m trying to enjoy it.”

In the past, he has mostly taken on characters who carry the weight of life on their shoulders, such as in Piano (2001), The Age of Innocence (2002), When a Man Loves a Woman (2004), and Green Rose (2005). Following his army discharge, he has dived into deeply shadowed acting with the film Into the White Night and this drama.

However, in his rookie days, he showed his oddball side in sitcoms like Jump, Family Honor, and Nonstop. Even now, although he can be cold, sometimes he tosses out a joke and provokes a laugh.

“I still pursue roles that are a bit difficult emotionally. Of course, upbeat acting is also difficult, but right now I keep feeling drawn to roles where I’m driven to the edge of a cliff. I did comedy a lot in my early debut days. I think I’ll do it again a while later.”

He said of acting, “The process of creating a character is interesting, and I like focusing on something in order to do it. I enjoy being able to go all-in to make a character.”

But he finds it awkward to call himself an “actor.”

There are several different words in Korean to describe an actor or performer. First, there’s “talent” (텔런트), which is a general word to describe a person who acts or appears on television as an entertainer. Then there’s “yeon-ki-ja” (연기자), which literally means “one who acts.” You can act (yeon-ki), but to paraphrase the great Tyra herself, you can do the verb (to act) without being the noun (Actor). One doesn’t earn the distinction of being a Serious Actor (“bae-woo,” or 배우) without proving oneself; a distinguished minority can lay claim to that word, such as Song Kang-ho, Sol Kyung-gu, Jeon Do-yeon, Go Hyun-jung… This is the word (bae-woo) that Go Soo uses here.

“An ‘actor’ is a path I’d like to take but can’t. I think it’ll be difficult in the future as well. What I consider to be an actor holds a very significant meaning for me. Could I actually become a serious actor? I’m just doing my best with the acting that has been given to me.”

(Also, MINE! Hahaha. You’ll never beat me to it.)

 
Via Yonhap News

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@momosan:

Hahaha, just wondering, what is a Paulie, Andy, or Exie? I'm guessing it refers to a school? :P

@samsooki:

"brooks brothers button downs and pressed khakis + no sock / docksiders than"

i don't live in the united states, but where i live, guys wear those outfits all the time! hahaha!

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i still have Go Soo-pangs from SOME (even if his hair is i haven't comb my hair for a while) and Go neu-nim now for WISF, so can I have a little bit of him? hahaha

if we're talking about eyes and then being hynoptized how about So Ji Sup and Jo In-sung?

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@ bingo

Nicknames for prominent New England prep schools - where the boys go to become men. :-P

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oh man, this thread is so funny to read!

especially Samsooki's "because the laws of quantum mechanics in this universe act such that time is linear in dramabeans world...." hahaha seems like Go Soo is sparking an intergalactic battle!

By the way Binnie is Lee Byeon Hun?

You folks has forgotten about Yoon Kye Sang, and I am staking my claim on him!! hahaha

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:::le sigh::: :)

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@ alexandra

*I need to stop stalking this thread*

Binnie is Hyun Bin. Lee Byung-hun is known around these parts as "that no good, no child support paying, father of belleza's twins"

As for Yoon Kye-sang.....woowhee, not going go there with a ten-foot pole. Good luck claiming him....

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Yessssss!!! this is what I LOVE about Dramabeans...the rapport , banter & camaraderie between drama addicts, (like myself) ...is entertainment by itself!!! ROFL!!! I sooo love the "dramabeans community"!!!!
This Go Soo article is an eye-opener, as to GS's real persona (shy & unassuming, but thoughtful) w/c makes him more desirable!!! Of course, my first love will always be GONG YOO...but in the meantime, a little GS eyecandy...is a near second!!! followed by Binnie, KJH,& lest I forget...my Wookie in the army!!!

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samsooki... your KJH is.... ?

(sorry... I haven't been following your interests closely :)

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@ ockoala
"Nicknames for prominent New England prep schools – where the boys go to become men."

Now, that's funny! :P

@ alexandra

I believe JB has already claimed Yoon Kye Sang way back when she was doing her Who Are You? recaps.
Laws of quantum mechanics... ;)

@ ziziebrown

Samsooki's KJH is Kang Ji Hwan Korean-cutiepie-baby Ji Hoon. :P

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Samsooki doesn't really have a KJH, because Kang Ji-hwan is mine, EVERYONE knows that. But he can have Kim Ji-hoon. (Which is more of a sacrifice once you've seen Flowers For My Life. I didn't call him Mr. Cool Sexy Hot Bedroom Eyes for nothin', you know!)

"where the boys go to become men.”

You mean, where the boys go to become... frat boys? Sorry, went to college with waaay too many of those boys, heh.

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@58,

I am so glad you asked. Who is MY kjh? hehe. His name is Kang Ji Hwan, of such notable projects like Capital Scandal, Hong Gil Dong, and of the movie, 7th Grade Civil Servant.

Well, I'd like to take full credit for discovery, but I can't. :D But that's okay. Finders keepers.

EDIT: ARGGGGGH TRUMPED BY JB again! curses! I swear, somebody is spying on me. I'm YUSHIN I tell you!

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^ HA JONG!!!!

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ockoala - thanks for enlightening me!

Oh yes, I read somewhere that JB is very fond of YKS.

Oh well, I better stay out of this intergalactic battle of the stars.

Can I just fantasise that I am Han Ye Seul being kissed by GS? haahah

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> 59 hjkomo - Jan 12, 2010 at 5:51 pm

@ ockoala
“Nicknames for prominent New England prep schools – where the boys go to become men.”

Now, that’s funny! :P <

Believe it or not, in my day, it was actually etched above the Academy building front door. "Hither Come Boys to Become Men." in Latin of course as "Huc Venite, Pueri, ut Viri Sitis". Which begged the question of what the hell we girls were doing there, but like I said, that was just as it went co-ed.

As I understand it, some many years later they took that down and put something else up. I'd actually have to wiki to find out what it is. We used to joke that it actually meant "Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here."

Sorry, I'm hiding from QSD on MBC America, but Mom has it turned up loud....right now Bidam (POOR BIDAM!) is declaiming about Yushin......

it's not looking good for you right now samsooki aka Yushin......

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thanks for the article..

he's gotten prettier by the moment, isn't he?so so tempting.. I'm getting a fresh kleenex box ready for tomorrow tho im less sure abt TVU or LS since i've been getting station off-air status since the weekend.. hopefully by midnight or the morning after there'll be something on YT

just for the record, I'm not claiming anyone at the moment except Lee Ki-woo.. MINE!

(all the comments bfr me are very entertaining, as usual)

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lol. i love you so much for quoting Tyra, JB.

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bae soo bin claimed yet? ... ok, MINE!! :)

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go soo is truly talented and gorgeous
im watching this drama right now and he does a fantastic job
every time he cries, i want to try too

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HAHAH!! i love these threads, mostly because they're so hilarious and highly amusing to read, and also cos i love that i can sit here, reading all the comments thus far, and know that i'm not the only one. [y'know, so i dont feel too much like a weirdo or anything. and thats always a good thing =O) ]

i kinda want to jump into the fray, but i know that if i did, i would both 1) get greedy and want EVERYONE (BOTH KJHs, Go Soo, Gong Yoo, Kim Rae Won, Yoon Kye Sang, everyone. all mine!!) and 2) lose (so really, not all mine. none for me, actually. boooo.) lol.

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LOL at everyone! :D

so OWNING someone is the new trend???????

then i'd like to say JANG GEUN SUK is MINE... ;)

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@ momosan

I think the latter inscription is: "here boys and girls share knowledge and virtue."

I've got some Exie friends, will confirm with them.

@ JB

"to become frat boys" - aw, I was just giving our samsooki the benefit of the doubt. :-)

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"Sure, I’m a guy, but I view them like action figures."

I think someone doth protest too much. Embrace it dude. I have girl-crushes all the time as you can tell by my love of Im Soo Jung.

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@ 63 - Oh well, I better stay out of this intergalactic battle of the stars.
Well said!

You guys are so cute! I want to claim 2 guys too if I could...
Gong Yoo to infinty & beyond!
And one more... Kim Young Woon / Kang-in from Super Junior... regardless what had happened.. I never knew my noona love for him is this crazy! I love you bb! Come back soon...

Go Soo... I wonder why I never got around to watching Green Rose... WISFC is really warranting a watch and I like tragic male characters...

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You guys are so funny! LOL..

hjkomo, what's or rather who's Ha Jong?

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I'm really lovin Go Soo right now.....those piercing eyes and the tears that drop at an instant. Can't we all just share?

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I dated a guy from Paulie in HS. Very rich, privileged & athletic. I would classify him as hardworking and competitive rather than intellectual. Played on the lacrosse team but don't they all! He was totally a frat guy.

BTW if no one has claimed him, I would like to formerly claim Manager Ma as "Mine". The cross eyed eye stares and the abracadabra butt wiggle dance turned me into a total rabid fangirl. He stole my heart from the devil who wears prada, cleavage bearing, granny shoe wearing miranda impersonator.

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If I was Go Soo, I'd hope that all these "possessive" comments were made tongue firmly in cheek.
@Anjell- arrgh, you beat me to JGS. I was wondering why no one was mentioning him.;)

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@71 ockoala -

I wikied - Hic Quaerite Pueri Puellaeque Virtutem et Scientiam ("Here, boys and girls, seek goodness and knowledge") - well, it's in keeping with the school motto, however "Abandon all hope" seems more apt.

On to k-drama land - I am beta testing Boxee and am now enjoying Beethoven Virus on Crunchyroll. So far, no glitches, and the pictures are better than dramafever - very high quality. No current programs, however. I do wish they still had Hulu as they did back in the earlier days of Boxee beta. (BTW, I'm also beta testing Firefox and Chrome on OS X - the former has some neat new feature, the later is wicked fast) Both tend to die the death of a thousand nicks if you run dramafever - I think it's an OS X bug, but I keep reporting and hoping for a bug trace on it.

Back to the subject at hand.....
He is a charming looking man.

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not fair!
you always get the first call (yeah well you own this place)
but....
kang ji wan or go soo? pick one!!

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Oh my goodness it's a war here, seriously. If nobody is claiming the younger children, I shall claim them - yes, Kim Bum = MINE. Jung Ilwoo = MINE. Although, ironically, they are older than me. Screw it.

Go Soo, oh my, why do you get better-looking as the days go by? I swear. And the Kangjin character becoming painful (in a tear-shedding, tissue-box-using-up way), so true. I stopped at the end of episode 6 because already I was beginning to feel the painfulness seep through the episodes. I'm running out of kleenex boxes!! (Need to head to the not-so-closeby store to get some more, but this New England winter weather is so discouraging...)

I know some Exies, actually, no Andies or Paulies here at college (but this might just be because I don't know about them). And yes, many of them end up being frat boys (although one of my really good friends, who is a girl, is an Exie, she doesn't really fit in with the rest of that sort of... "image" per se)...

You know, I noticed that the international Asian students at college are the guys that dress REALLY nice - I shamelessly oggle at their good fashion sense (because you really don't get much of that at all, at my college...). And always, ALWAYS, whenever I go back to "the homeland" (Asia), everybody always dresses so nicely on the streets - the old American simple T-shirt and shorts (used to be me, but I got quickly converted to crazy fashion trend follower thanks to my friend who reads the NY Magazine too often and flips out about runway week on her blogs) really sticks out like a sore thumb.

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i knew we should open up a thread just to stake MINE tag to all actors...
so to sum it up
JB : KJH, YKS, LJJ, KRW (opened for staking for 2 years of army service), GS,...
Samsooki : HB, KJH?
GY to be batlled by Cingdoc, Snikki, Penn,...
JH is for all chunojummah (and chunoagashi) out there...
Mr. Voice, anyone??

since i was going to lost in all battle that consist of KJH, HB, GS and YKS, can i at least put MINE tag on Lee Seung Hyo aka Alcheon?? and BSB :P

and thank you so much for the article JB, and for the explanation for the word 'act' and 'actor'... i didn't know they were different words in Korea...

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OH. Can't believe I forgot Im Joohwan. Nobody's staking out Park Kyu? Then he is MINE.

Muahaha *evil laugh*

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Im Joo-hwan belongs to TEAM PARK KYU!, A. We as members all share him collectively, which avoids bloodshed and allows for group fangirling, which is a very fun activity!

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@81 bbm

Hey! I had dibs on KRW if JB is giving him up for his army service...

However, if he's deemed unavailable ::cries::, I'll get dibs on Joo Sang Wook aka Wol Ya from QSD, since Bidam has his own army, and you've apparently taken Lee Seung Hyo the yellow power ranger, the other Hwarang hottie,

Most of the cuties are way too young even in a ICOMYM way for me. Kim Nam Gil is about my cut off point in that department. They get much younger than that and I just want to feed them a decent meal and have them date my nieces.

And I believe JB may have dibs on the Voice....although I may be wrong about that.

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True, I guess I will give up Im Joohwan for the sake of Team Park Kyu, LOL.

What does ICOMYM stand for, momosan?

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you guys made my day!
all of u 'regulars'.. not just JB :)

thanks!

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@ A.

Your sharing spirit will be well rewarded (did you see the deleted scene hjkomo found from the director's cut DVD of Tamra? So sweet....).

"ICOMYM" stands for Inappropriate Crushes On Much Younger Men.

Founder and leader is langdon813 and her mine is Lee Min-ki, which I am calling on her behalf.

My "I lub you" is 4 years older than me, and my loverboy is 6 years younger than me. And I am one very very happy drama-watcher indeed to have found them.

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i was wondering why were there comments on this posts. it ended up to ppl staking their claims *loL*

i've always been a lurker but this post just made me want to say. thank you for the entertainment and to JB for the brilliant writing.

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WISFC is my first drama of him, and i'm falling for him already (dang it! you claimed him already! HAHAHA).. thanks for the article!

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@ 86 A.

"Inappropriate Crushes On Much Younger Men"

Lee Min-ki = MINE x INFINITY, since we're on the subject.

Edited to add:

I see ockoala was looking out for me, as usual! :-)

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@ ockoala

What deleted scene!! (Oh no... I think I've neglected Team Park Kyu obsessions since I got addicted to watching Family Outing - pure hilarity, btw)

Oh so that's what ICOMYM means... Unfortunately (or fortunately), I don't end up being older than my Kdrama crushes, so I guess that term doesn't exactly apply to me - it would mean I'm looking at the child actors, who I'm sure some of them will turn into good-looking actors, but for now, they are still kids to me.

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Thanks everybody for the laugh after a hard day :)

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@85, momosan,
sorry, didn't mean to forget your claim of KRW for 2 years. you should enjoying it while it lasts though, coz' after he return from the army you have to 'return' him also, LOL
and i forgot about langdon unnie's LMK and also Belleza's LBH... :P

unfortunately i can't jump in the ICOMYM bandwagon yet, co'z i'm stuck in the middle here, well except if you're talking Yoo Seung Ho or anyone born after 1990, coz even JGS is not that much younger than me (about 5 years i think)

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Oh man, I just learn a new word today - ICOMYM.
And I am a eligible member! haha.

#80 - I like your reference on the "younger children" hahaha.

GS is such a heartbreaker, does anyone not like him? I don't think so!!

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Samsooki & JB...

Phewwww.....!!! Thank goodness KJH for you and JB is Kang Ji Hwan!!

I don't have to start a duel with you guys then. My KJH is Kim Jeong Hoon :)

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Dreamy dreamy dreamy...lol.

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Some definitions for ppl who might be a little confused:

"my KJH" = normally, it would be Kang Ji Hwan. But apparently my noon-chi is tingling and so it could mean Kim Jung Hyun.

"noon-chi" = korean word for "spidey sense"

"ha-jong" = character on Queen Seon Deok, played by Kim Jung Hyun (see above).

andy = Philips Andover, a new england prep school.
exie = Phillips Exeter, a better new england prep school.
paulie = St. Paul's School, another exie wannabe.
NMH = Northfield Mount Hermon, a school that wishes it were an exie wannabe.
choate = Choate Rosemary Hall, a school that thinks it is as good as andy, but isn't.

:D

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It was fun reading all these comments. Go Soo is one good looking young man. ICOMYM sign me up! Would love to claim Kim Rae Won as mine but I'm old enough to be his mother! I'll let you younger girls fight over him. Just watched his Xmas message on youtube, so cute!

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Go Soo - very very nice. Such a lovely face and beautiful expressive eyes. Am going to wait for the completion of the series before I start - the recaps are helping though! Thanks JB :)

Re: MINE! claiming
Gee is it OT Friday already? LOL

I think the rule is JB will always have first claim - but when she is busy alternating between her other MINE's! then we can duke it out.

Hmm I see Samsooki is still shameless and delusional in sneaking 'his' claim on KJH! *sigh* Really after numerous 'corrections' you still don't learn.....do you not recall KJH has a restraining order against you? Do you need to be locked up again? :p

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omg too many short forms here
i have been googling non stop for the guys' images

since everyone here is a bit older, i will take JGS and other hotties around his age haha

i probably won't be back to fight for him, so i will say it now
he's mine, officially (for those who claimed him before, whoever touches him last gets to keep him, and i just touched him now!)

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